'Wary' Sri Lanka refuses to give power to provincial chiefs

The president's brother Basil Rajapaksa claims the government will still implement Rajiv Gandhi's 'Indo-Lanka Accord'

Days after a favourable result in the Bhutan polls gave New Delhi some relief, the foreign office is set to face another crisis, also involving elections in the neighbourhood.

Despite India stridently insisting that Sri Lanka has to fully devolve powers to provincial leaders following upcoming polls in the post-war Tamil north, Colombo is refusing to budge - with Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa asserting that crucial portions of the India-installed 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka's Constitution will have to be "sacrificed".

Speaking to Mail Today, Basil - brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose ministry has authority over most government activities - claimed that their government would be the first to implement Rajiv Gandhi's 'Indo-Lanka Accord', which calls for Sri Lanka to ensure provincial chief ministers are given full powers, by holding elections in the North for the first time in over two decades.

The elections are slated for September, but with a major Tamil coalition likely to come to power, Colombo has made it clear that they will not hand over land or police powers to the Chief Minister, despite this being mandatory as per the 13th amendment.

"President Mahinda Rajapaksa is fully implementing the Indo-Lanka Accord which no one was able to do," Rajapaksa said.

"But to do that, there must be some sacrifice. We can't bring another situation which will bring more (violent) problems, and this peaceful environment for economic growth, we can't sacrifice this. We are taking a bold step towards democratisation, (without) risking the economic growth or unity of the nation," he said.